Nostalgic memories of Child Okeford's local history
Share your own memories of Child Okeford and read what others have said
For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our web site to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was when the photographs in our archive were taken. From brief one-liners explaining a little bit more about the image depicted, to great, in-depth accounts of a childhood when things were rather different than today (and everything inbetween!). We've had many contributors recognising themselves or loved ones in our photographs.
Why not add your memory today and become part of our Memories Community to help others in the future delve back into their past.
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Displaying Memories 1 - 10 of 23 in total
Hi Laura, Is your cottage to the right of the passage way? If so, that was my first
ever property. I bought it in 1976 for about £8000.
Nigel
I went to Childe Okeford 24th June 1946 as a 19 yr old Land Girl ( Connie Rogers) working for Walty Francis - Melways Farm.
One of the hardest winters on record 1947 I remember going out to fetch the cows, the snow was so deep nearly up to the top of my wellies. Pipes carrying the milk from the milking parlour to the
dairy were frozen solid and Walty had to climb up with a piece of lighted paper to thaw pipes ...see more
I remember the Manor House in Child Okeford, my mother worked for the Glassbrooks the then owner s of the manor, this was about 1943/44 and a battalion of the Newfoundland Army were billeted in the grounds. I as a 6 year old boy became their mascot, they kitted me out in a uniform and I happily marched around with them, I was watched over by a sergeant named :Zech" . I also attended the village school during this time .
my name then was healey,i remember going to school in the village and going to church three times on a sunday,my brother also Terry was evacuated just in the next village,Friday at school was that we could take any toy..i remember swimming in the pool and falling from a tree ,my baby brother also was evacuated during the later war years with mr and mrs rideout ,I have a picture of shillingstone station on my wall oh I remember lots
Hi Readers ...My name is Vince . I was born in Greenway Lane in 1955 and spent my early years in the village . My father was a Child Okeford man and my Grandfather was in Gold Hill . Even today I have family living at Jacobs Ladder . I can remember Diffys the village shop and what was the old primary school which I attended . Was Mrs Gumbleton the teacher ...forgive if I have misspelt her name ? ...see more
Just to the right was a farm run by Mr Chaffey, he had working for him Mr Bert R*** who was a very large gentleman, probably over 20 stones, anyway in the bad winter of 1947 Bert slipped down on the ice outside the butchers shop opposite the cross, several locals tried with no result to get Bert back on his feet till one said "Yer, let's roll he over to the monument". This was done, result Bert back on his feet and back to work!!!
I was born in 1940 at the shop at the top of Shillingstone Rd, the Corner Stores owned by my father Guy Moon.
One of my first memories is a tank pushing out the corner of the shop wall, and of the G.I's giving us chewing gum, also oranges which at that time we had never seen.
We had lots of evacuees in the village, some of which never went back to their homes and married and live in the village now, a favourite ...see more
I spent my early years playing and later working in the fields in the valley between Hambledon and Shillingstone hills.
At one time I worked for Mr Harry Watts and later his daughter Jo. I can remember once Harry Watts and Mr Reg Tucker were building a hay rick when the local vicar and doctor walked by, they called up to the men on the rick "could you do with a hand up there", they replied "Yes we could, but ...see more
I can remember in the late 1940s Gymkhanas being held in the field behind the Manor, then owned by Mister Glazebrook.
I remember after one very large lady had done her jumping round one of the locals shouting "Now thee get off and give the hoss (horse) a ride".
As children I also remember standing round the same fields at harvest time armed with sticks in the hope we could kill a rabbit as they ran out of the corn.
It was from here that the children of the village waited for the school buses to Blandford Grammer School and Sturminster Secondary Modern School. We never mixed, the Blandford children waited by the cross, we waited by Curtis's shop. At that time Mr Dyer had this butchers shop and Mr Pride had the pub.
Before that Mr Davis had the pub, Mr Turner the butchers and Mr Cottle had a harness shop next door.
Some of the children had to walk over a mile to catch the buses.
